You’re into injury time, and there’s a free kick 20 yards out. Your star player steps up, approaches the ball... and he smashes it into row Z. Having a specialist free-kick taker can save you games, or grab you goals out of nothing so it’s always worth having one in your squad.
READ: FIFA 19: Top Free Kick Takers
How to choose the best free-kick taker on FIFA 18
The three stats you need to look at are free kick accuracy, curve and shot power. The accuracy is straightforward; it shows how likely the ball is going to hit your target. The curve determines how much bend and dip you will get on the ball, but the power is the key variant. If someone has a high shot power, you will not need to kick the ball as hard, and vice versa if they have a low shot power. We have ordered our top 10 by free kick accuracy first and then curve.
For a full list of all the best free kick takers on FIFA 18 look at the bottom of this page.
Hakan Calhanoglu (FKA 93, CRV 92)
Overall: 79
Potential: 83
Age: 23
Positions: LM, CAM
Club: AC Milan
Country: Turkey
Free kick stats: 93 free kick accuracy, 92 curve, 87 shot power
Career Mode Cost: £25.8 million (release clause)
Wage: £81,000
FUT Cost: 1,200 (PS4), 1,300 (XB1)
Football fans in the know will tell you that AC Milan new man Hakan Calhanoglu is the best free kick taker in the world. The Turkish international’s most memorable effort was a 41-yard effort for Hamburg against Borussia Dortmund, but a troubled season at Bayer Leverkusen saw him move to Milan this past summer.
On FIFA 18 his free kick stats of 93 accuracy and 92 curve means you should be scoring more often than not with the 23-year-old. With the left or attacking midfielder only just making the move you will need to wait until January to sign him where he can be bought for a reasonable £25.8 million. His 79 overall and 83 potential makes him just about worth the £81,000 a week wages. On Ultimate Team Calhanoglu will set you back around 1,200 coins on both PS4 and Xbox One.
Andrea Pirlo (FKA 93, CRV 92)
Overall: 77
Potential: 77
Age: 38
Positions: CM, CDM
Club: New York City FC
Country: Italy
Free kick stats: 93 free kick accuracy, 92 curve, 74 shot power
Career Mode Cost: £3.7 million (release clause)
Wage: £7,000
FUT Cost: 1,000 (PS4), 850 (XB1)
The coolest player on the planet, Andrea Pirlo is a master from dead-ball situations. At the age of 38, this could be his last year in football, with the MLS season closing in December. The AC Milan, Juventus and Italy legend would be sorely missed, with the central or defensive midfielder able to hit pin-point passes.
93 free kick accuracy, 92 curve and 74 shot power make Pirlo the perfect man to whip balls into the area or to clip the ball over the wall from free-kicks. The 2006 World Cup winner may only be rated 77 these days on FIFA 18, but he can still do a lot of damage. You could poach him in Career Mode for £3.7 million, and with his £7,000 a week wages he is an absolute bargain. It’s the same on Ultimate Team with Pirlo costing jut 1,000 coins on PS4 and 850 on Xbox One.
Dimitri Payet (FKA 91, CRV 90)
Overall: 84
Potential: 84
Age: 30
Positions: LW, CAM
Club: Olympique Marseille
Country: France
Free kick stats: 91 free kick accuracy, 90 curve, 78 shot power
Career Mode Cost: £49.3 million (release clause)
Wage: £52,000
FUT Cost: 4,300 (PS4), 3,400 (XB1)
How West Ham could do with Dimitri Payet right now. The France international made the £25 million move back to Marseille in January 2017, with the Hammers struggling in the Premier League since.
Payet’s free kick ability is just the tip of the iceberg, with his 91 free kick accuracy, 90 curve and 78 shot power helping to make up his 84 overall rating. At the age of 30, the left winger or attacking midfielder will soon start to decline, so you should move for him quickly in Career Mode. His £49.3 million release clause and £52,000 a week wages are slightly steep, but he can be worth it if he is the focal point of your team. On Ultimate Team he is much more affordable with a cost of 4,300 coins on PS4 and 3,400 on Xbox One.
Lionel Messi (FKA 90, CRV 89)
Overall: 93
Potential: 93
Age: 30
Positions: RW
Club: Barcelona
Country: Argentina
Free kick stats: 90 free kick accuracy, 89 curve, 85 shot power
Career Mode Cost: £189.4 million (release clause)
Wage: £497,000
FUT Cost: 1.1 million (PS4), 1.18 million (XB1)
When you think of Lionel Messi, free-kicks don’t really spring to mind, but there are just so many skills that the Barcelona superstar has. With 521 goals in his career, it doesn’t matter how the ball comes to him, Messi will score.
Now 30, is there a possibility that the Argentine fancies something new? If you want to sign him on Career Mode, his release clause his £189.4 million, but this will come crashing down to maybe £80 million in January, where you may even be able to sign him for free on a contract expiry deal like we did. With his wages of £497,000 a week, it’s the only way you can realistically afford the right winger. On Ultimate Team you will have to fork out 1.1 million on both consoles for the 93-rated Messi.
Miralem Pjanic (FKA 91, CRV 86)
Overall: 85
Potential: 86
Age: 27
Positions: CM, CDM
Club: Juventus
Country: Bosnia Herzegovina
Free kick stats: 91 free kick accuracy, 86 curve, 78 shot power
Career Mode Cost: £66 million (release clause)
Wage: £141,000
FUT Cost: 53,000 (PS4), 43,000 (XB1)
A highly underrated player, Miralem Pjanic has been churning out performance after performance in Serie A for over six years. The Bosnian has stepped up following his £29 million move from Roma to Juventus last year, and he's now amongst the world’s best central midfielders.
Pjanic, who can also play in defensive midfield, has an excellent free kick ability with 91 accuracy, 86 curve and 78 shot power. In Career Mode he will set you back a steep £66 million and £141,00 a week wages, so you may need to wait until the 27-year-old’s price comes down. His 85 rating and 86 potential makes him a really tempting purchase, and he doesn’t come cheap on Ultimate Team either. On PS4 he will cost 53,000 coins on PS4 and 43,000 on Xbox One.
Dani Parejo (FKA 90, CRV 87)
Overall: 83
Potential: 83
Age: 28
Positions: CM, CAM, CDM
Club: Valencia
Country: Spain
Free kick stats: 90 free kick accuracy, 87 curve, 80 shot power
Career Mode Cost: £47.1 million (release clause)
Wage: £40,000
FUT Cost: £1,100 (PS4), 1,000 (XB1)
A player you may not have heard of, but with 13 assists and 12 goals over the past two seasons, you can see his talent. The central, attacking or defensive midfielder runs operations at Valencia, but at 28 the chances of a Spain call-up are slipping away.
With an 83 rating, Parejo is a very reliable man on FIFA 18. This doesn’t change from free kicks with his 90 free kick accuracy, 87 curve and 80 shot power. However, for his overall he is a pricey acquisition on Career Mode, with his release clause at 47.1 million and his wages of £40,000 a week. On Ultimate Team he is a great signing for around 1,000 coins on both consoles.
Gylfi Sigurdsson (FKA 89, CRV 87)
Overall: 82
Potential: 82
Age: 27
Positions: CAM, LM
Club: Everton
Country: Iceland
Free kick stats: 89 free kick accuracy, 87 curve, 82 shot power
Career Mode Cost: £38.5 million (release clause)
Wage: £114,000
FUT Cost: 6,700 (PS4), 6,300 (XB1)
The finest free-kick taker in the Premier League, Gylfi Sigurdsson almost single-handedly stopped Swansea from getting relegated last season. His performances saw him make a big money move to Everton over the summer, scoring from 50 yards on his debut.
His free kick stats of 89 accuracy, 87 curve and 82 shot power make impressive reading. His £38.5 million price tag is a good price for the 82-rared attacking or left midfielder on Career Mode, but his wages of £114,000 a week are a stumbling block. You will need to wait until January to sign the 27-year-old anyway, but you can snap him up straightaway on Ultimate Team for around 6,500 coins on both PS4 and Xbox One.
Sejad Salihovic (FKA 87, CRV 89)
Overall: 75
Potential: 75
Age: 32
Positions: CM, CDM, LM
Club: Hamburg
Country: Bosnia Herzegovina
Free kick stats: 87 free kick accuracy, 87 curve, 85 shot power
Career Mode Cost: £7.5 million (release clause)
Wage: £28,000
FUT Cost: n/a
Another dark horse, Sejad Salihovic doesn’t even appear on Ultimate Team. The 32-year-old Hamburg man only signed for the club in September, but he has already made three appearances for the club.
His 87-rated free kick accuracy, 87 curve and 85 shot power have helped him go straight into first team contention, and has the ability to play as a central, defensive or left midfielder. On Career Mode, you need just £7.5 million and £28,000 a week wages to sign him, but the 75-rated Salihovic will only become available in January.
Mehmet Ekici (FKA 87, CRV 88)
Overall: 77
Potential: 77
Age: 27
Positions: CAM, CM, CDM
Club: Fenerbahce
Country: Turkey
Free kick stats: 87 free kick accuracy, 88 curve, 85 shot power
Career Mode Cost: £15.9 million (release clause)
Wage: £58,000
FUT Cost: 800 (PS4), 1,000 (XB1)
Mehmet Ekici has just made the switch from Trabzonspor to Turkish giants Fenerbahce after three solid seasons in the Super Lig. The 27-year-old is battling for a starting spot, but once they see what he can do from set-pieces he may be thrust into the starting line-up.
The attacking, central or defensive midfielder has a 77 rating on FIFA 18, with his free kick components being 87 accuracy, 88 curve and 85 shot power, making him still very dangerous from distance. £15.9 million is a great price for Ekici on Career Mode, but you will have to wait for January to snap him up and pay his £58,000 a week wages. On Ultimate Team you can snap him up for 800 coins on PS4 or 1,000 on Xbox One.
Sebastian Giovinco (FKA 89, CRV 86)
Overall: 83
Potential: 83
Age: 30
Positions: CF, ST
Club: Toronto FC
Country: Italy
Free kick stats: 89 free kick accuracy, 86 curve, 79 shot power
Career Mode Cost: £33 million (release clause)
Wage: £13,000
FUT Cost: 1,800 (PS4), 950 (XB1)
The best player in the MLS, Sebastian Giovinco has helped elevate North American soccer. 63 goals in less than three seasons shows how dominant he has been in the division, as does his 83 rating on FIFA 18.
£33 million may be too much for you to go in for Giovinco on Career Mode, but with few centre forwards (second strikers) available, you may see him as the perfect signing. His wages of £13,000 a week are a bargain which will get you his 89 free kick accuracy, 86 curve and 79 shot power. On Ultimate Team you will only need 1,800 coins on PS4 and 950 on Xbox One to sign the 30-year-old.
More top free kick takers
Player | Age | Pos . | Club | Country | FKA | CRV | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Marvin Plattenhardt | 25 | LB | Hertha Berlin | Germany | 89 | 85 | 78 |
Shunsuke Nakamura | 39 | CAM | Jubilo Iwata | Japan | 88 | 86 | 71 |
Wesley Sneijder | 33 | CAM | Nice | Netherlands | 86 | 88 | 83 |
Marco Reus | 26 | LM ST LW | B. Dortmund | Germany | 84 | 90 | 86 |
Memphis Depay | 23 | LW LM | Lyon | Netherlands | 88 | 85 | 79 |
Anderson Talisca | 23 | CAM ST CM | Besiktas* | Brazil | 87 | 86 | 79 |
James Rodriguez | 25 | CAM CM RM | Bayern Munich* | Colombia | 86 | 87 | 86 |
Christian Eriksen | 25 | CAM RM LM | Tottenham | Denmark | 87 | 85 | 87 |
Keisuke Honda | 31 | RW CAM | Pachuca | Japan | 86 | 86 | 78 |
Paulo Dybala | 23 | CAM ST | Juventus | Argentina | 84 | 88 | 88 |
*Denotes player who are on loan
** Unattached players are automatically assigned clubs on Career Mode
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Contract Expiry Signings Ending in 2018 (First Season)
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Best young right wingers & right midfielders (RW & RM)
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Best young attacking midfielders (CAM)
Best young central midfielders (CM)
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Midfielders (CMs, CAMs & CDMs)
Who do you want taking your free-kicks in Ultimate Team? Let us know in the comments section below.